Circuit breakers, including reclosers, typically comprise an electromagnetic actuator for moving an electrical contact between open and closed states. Closing the actuator usually involves energising one or more electromagnetic coils to move the contact against a mechanical bias such as a spring. In order to preserve the mechanical life of the circuit breaker, the speed at which the contact moves should be restricted. This adversely affects the efficiency of the actuator, resulting in increased weight size and power consumption for the circuit breaker.
It would be desirable to provide an improved method for controlling the operation of circuit breakers that mitigates the problem outlined above.